While the 40 Acres might be one of the greatest campuses, with one of the best football stadiums, in the nation, Austin isn't exactly the most climate-friendly location for college football in the fall.
Every year, as the season flies into focus and schedules nail down kickoff times, Texas fans batten down the hatches for an inevitable early afternoon game.
This year was no different, with the Texas Longhorns' first game of the season, a matchup against the Texas State Bobcats, earning a 2:30 p.m. kickoff time on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Now, usually an afternoon kick wouldn't be that big of a deal, but in Austin, the average high for the beginning of September is well into the 90s, encroaching on near-100 degree temperatures. To put it lightly, when fans saw the 2:30 kick time, they weren't happy.
By the way, the average high temperature in Austin over the last five years on September 5 is 97 degrees. That game between Texas and Texas State is starting at 2:30 p.m., because the TV networks care about ratings more than common sense and general safety.
— David Eckert (@davideckert98) May 27, 2026
The Horns' home stadium, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, doesn't provide much shade at any time of day, much less when it's the middle of the day and the sun is almost directly overhead.
Someone looked at that Sep 5th game, a game that easily could be on streaming, and thought “yeah, a 2:30 kickoff in the Texas summer heat sounds excellent” https://t.co/Y2FPfwCd8V
— Elmer Adame (@eadame2) May 27, 2026
Beyond the extensive sun exposure, the temperature will be as hot as possible, and the humidity in Austin is never a friendly beast to deal with.
#Texas gets a 2:30 pm kickoff for week one on September 5th vs. Texas State.
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) May 27, 2026
Good luck folks. Start your hydration now.
Sure, the Horns get to have their first game of the season air on ESPN, but is it really worth it when fans and players of both teams will be subjected to temperatures that feel like they are well into the 100s?
Of course, the suites, the locker rooms (at least that of the Longhorns), and a few of the other indoor setups in the stadium have air conditioning, but even the restrooms for the crowd to utilize during the game have yet to figure out how to stay cool in the relentless Texas heat.
Luckily, two of the Horns' three other September matchups are scheduled to be night games, kicking off against the Ohio State Buckeyes at 6:30 p.m. in Week 2, and at 7 p.m. CT against the UTSA Roadrunners in Week 3.
Also read: Texas receives some offseason excitement with updated odds vs. Ohio State
Texas's third game of the month hasn't had a kickoff time released yet, but it will take place in Knoxville, TN, which will hopefully (and likely) be cooler than Austin would be at that time of year.
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